


Captivated

by violetholdsme



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: 2ggu are brothers, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Awkward Conversations, Idiots in Love, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, baker!changgu, clueless yanan, confident gay yanan, not historically accurate, prince!yanan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:42:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetholdsme/pseuds/violetholdsme
Summary: Something about Yanan being with him still somehow made him feel safe, despite all the fears and doubts. There was never anything like it. The feeling was perhaps the most sinful,recklessthing that Changgu had ever partaken in, but he didn’t want it to stop. He could live in that exhilarating wickedness forever.
Relationships: Yan An/Yeo Changgu | Yeo One, mentioned Lee Hwitaek | Hui/Ko Shinwon
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42





	Captivated

**Author's Note:**

> i'm surprised i haven't seen any royalty aus for this ship so i wrote one TT this is the longest oneshot i've ever done and i hope it's decent enough ;-;
> 
> few notes:  
> \- not historically accurate at all, all i can say is that it's not a modern setting so there's no phones and cars and things like that  
> \- changgu and hyunggu are brothers and run the family business together. no they're not biological, one of them is adopted but that's a story for another time i guess  
> \- characters besides ya, c9 and h9 are just mentioned
> 
> loosely inspired by [sparks fly](https://open.spotify.com/track/46NGAvL695VnbcSeTmQWmM?si=5KuWf9NtTvG4NARtn8MpBQ) by taylor swift

**i.**

“Coming through!”

Changgu was accustomed to the familiar scent that filled the room when Hyunggu took the trays of bread away from the flame, setting them down onto the cooling racks behind the counter. The older boy moved swiftly to accommodate Hyunggu, letting his brother arrange and organize the trays meticulously, the way he liked. Changgu had a little less method to his madness when he was the one baking, and he supposed he could learn a thing or two from his little brother; it certainly made things easier for whoever was taking orders at the counter.

“Should I do the next batch, Hyunggu?”

“I’ll do it. Take the counter.”

“Alright,” Changgu obliged, flashing a bright smile at the younger boy.

It was more or less a normal day: people came and went all throughout the morning, walking out of the quaint Daisy Street Bakery with baskets full of bread and pastries. Changgu and Hyunggu greeted their regulars and happily assisted new customers, all while baking batches after batches of all kinds of breads and buns. Changgu’s apron was covered in flour and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows from rolling out dough first thing in the morning, and Hyunggu didn’t look too far off, either, after baking new batches of bread nearly every thirty minutes.

Everything was more or less familiar 一 and if he were to put it quite frankly, Changgu would probably even say it was _perfect_. He was always quite content with the arrangement, running the bakery with his brother while their parents were off travelling through other kingdoms. Hyunggu always did dream bigger than him, and Changgu didn’t have any problem with that. Changgu thinks he doesn’t really need anything more for himself, that maybe he really _was_ ready to settle despite only being twenty, and the scent and warmth of freshly baked bread lulled him further into his daydream.

Changgu snapped out of his thoughts when someone walked into the bakery, clad in a brown cloak and a similarly-colored scarf that covered everything under his eyes. Changgu’s eyes immediately darted to the back room where his brother was, then to the few other customers still inside, then to the place under the counter where he kept a number of weapons in case anyone came to stir up trouble. Perhaps the man was a traveller of some sort, though Changgu couldn’t help but be protective of his brother and the bakery itself. He kept his defensive stance when the man walked up to the counter, staring Changgu down before he spoke through the fabric covering his face.

“Can I have... ten milk buns, please?”

Something about the stranger’s tone almost made Changgu laugh, but he found himself instead unable to utter a single word. He stood frozen in place, trying to figure out what to process first: the unexpected gentleness in the stranger’s tone, or the fact that he just ordered _ten_ milk buns, or the bright green of his eyes that became more and more crystalline the longer Changgu stared 一 which Changgu should certainly not have been so mesmerized by at all. Even _he_ knew that he was practically gawking. He could feel his jaw dropping more by the second, but he managed to pry his eyes away and finally get some words out.

“Um... sure. That’s very unusual, but一um, yes. I’ll一I will get those. For you. Do you have a basket?”

The stranger was smiling at him; Changgu could see it in his eyes. He mentally cursed himself for stuttering, but the other man didn’t really seem to mind, speaking up casually in reply.

“I don’t. Maybe you could give me one, too?”

“You’ll have to pay extra.”

“That’s fine.”

“Alright,” Changgu smiled, turning back to collect the bread. He spoke over his shoulder, trying to make small talk with the stranger, who definitely no longer seemed to be a threat.

“Food for your travels?” Changgu asked, placing the buns gingerly into a new basket. 

“I’m not a traveller. It’s for my family.”

“Big family.”

“Not really. Some of them are my... friends.”

“Hmm. If you’re from around here, then why are you dressed like that?”

“You really wanna know?”

Changgu hesitated for a bit, holding on to the basket and weighing his options. The way the man spoke wasn’t intimidating in the least, but there was a challenge in his voice nonetheless. There was a smirk on his face that Changgu knew was there, even with his back turned. He could almost _hear_ it. Eventually, he turned back towards the man, basket of ten milk buns in hand, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to find out some of his secrets.

Lo and behold, the sight that greeted Changgu was one that made his jaw drop to the floor for a second time that morning. (That was definitely two times too many to be normal).

“Shh,” the stranger mouthed, index finger pressed up against his lips.

This was definitely _not_ a normal morning.

The stranger’s scarf was pulled down slightly to reveal the rest of his face, green eyes glowing even more as Changgu took in the way he looked, the curve of his soft smile against his own finger as he shushed him, and the fact that he was _never_ anyone who Changgu imagined would come into their small bakery in a million years.

“Should I bow?” 

“Please don’t.”

The people in the shop were starting to steal longer glances at Changgu and the strange man, noticing the tension, noticing that people didn’t usually ask their customers if they should _bow_ to them, and probably also trying to get a peek at the strange figure’s now-revealed face.

“But you’re th一”

“Please, you don’t have to.”

“But it’s一”

“Please, I beg, don’t一”

Changgu wasn’t really having it, knowing better about courtesies that were expected of everyone when met with royalty, and he really couldn’t afford to act disrespectful when people were starting to give curious looks and lingering stares. So, he started to bow anyway.

“Your Highn一”

The stranger seemed to panic, then. Changgu didn’t really know what happened except that in the next tenth of a second, the taller man had smashed their lips together over the counter, hand on the back of Changgu’s neck, basket of bread be damned. If anything, at least, it _did_ get everyone to promptly look away.

They pulled away when Hyunggu bumped into the cooling racks with a loud clang, hurriedly looking away as well, but doing a double-take when he saw the face of the man that Changgu had just been _kissing over the counter_.

“I一 that’s一” Hyunggu stuttered.

“Put the bread in the back room first, yeah?” Changgu said in a rush, blood making its way to his cheeks.

“Okay.” Hyunggu obliged, walking swiftly back to where he came from, leaving the two at the counter alone once more.

“So…” Changgu began, still frozen in shock.

“Your brother?”

“Yes. My brother.”

“Hm. I don’t have a brother.”

“Yeah, I know,” Changgu said without thinking, and blushed even more when he realized how it sounded. “I mean… sorry.”

“It’s alright,” the taller man replied with a bashful giggle, burying his face back into the scarf around his neck.

“Thank you,” Changgu said, handing the basket of bread over after the other man paid. Changgu added, only loud enough for the two of them to hear, “Your Highness.”

“You can call me Yanan.”

Changgu smiled at that, for some reason, staring into green eyes and still recalling how the man’s every feature looked under the scarf, how his lips一how _Yanan_ ’s lips一felt beneath his own.

“Yanan,” he said, testing it out, liking how the sound felt against his throat.

“And you are?”

“Changgu.”

“Thank you, Changgu,” Yanan said, his hand lingering over the other boy’s on the basket before hanging it onto his arm. “I’ll see you again.”

“Okay.”

He walked out, then, leaving Changgu to bring his hand up to his lips the moment Yanan walked out the door, to feel the ghost of their rushed kiss and slightly frantic exchange, to indulge in the questions and the hope of whatever he meant by _I’ll see you again_.

Hyunggu walked back into the main room where Changgu was, eyes just as wide as his brother’s.

“Changgu hyung,” he began, shaking the older boy out of his trance, “was that the _prince_?!”

Changgu just nodded, not really believing it either. “That was the prince.”

“You _kissed_ the prince!”

“I一 the _prince_ kissed _me_.”

“Oh my god. I can’t believe this. You _kissed the prince._ And if I had just let you bake the bread, _I_ would have been kissing the prince!”

“Well, he said _I’ll see you again_ , so maybe next time he’ll kiss _you_.”

“He said he would see _you_ again!”

“He’s the prince, Hyunggu. He’ll probably forget that in two days anyway.”

“No, he’s going to ask you to marry him, and _you_ ’ll become a prince, which means _I_ ’m gonna become a prince, so you better not turn him down so we can live in the palace and rule this kingdom and have everything we want!”

Hyunggu was giggling and nearly bouncing as he said it, and Changgu knew he was only joking. But it was always endearing when Hyunggu talked about his fascination with the royals, their parties and clothes and star-studded lives, and it would just be _mean_ of him not to indulge his little brother when the previous event was, in fact, the closest brush with royalty they’ve ever had. And as he registered the lingering tingle on his lips, he knew that it was much, _much_ more than either of them could have ever imagined.

“Okay, maybe next time then, Hyunggu.”

Hyunggu giggled. “You really don’t think he’s coming back, though?”

“I don’t know.” Changgu has enough pride not to say _I hope he will_. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

**ii.**

It took almost three weeks for Yanan to show up again, but he does. He’s still wearing the same long, brown cloak, but this time, the scarf concealing his features was a dark green that complemented the color of his irises. Changgu recognized that the cloth and its patterns could only be the work of Hwitaek and Shinwon, the couple two doors down that sold garments and fabrics on Daisy Street. It made Changgu wonder just how much Yanan had been around; it wasn’t common for the nobility to be found amongst commoners, much less partaking in their trades like Yanan obviously had been.

Changgu also wondered if Yanan simply kissed anyone he came across whenever there was some danger of getting recognized. Changgu reckoned that it was possible; Yanan quite literally was the most handsome person he had ever seen, his voice was entrancing, everything about him was in the right place. His smile looked like the sweetest honey and tasted like it too, and Changgu kind of wishes that the answer was _no, Yanan didn’t kiss random village boys or girls as a distraction all the time even though he clearly had the power to._ Because as much as he hated to admit it, Changgu thought about that kiss every single day and every single night for the past three weeks and two days that Yanan didn’t come into the Daisy Street Bakery again.

But the prince was standing in the bakery again now, in the exact same spot as before. This time he had the bread basket he had previously acquired, and he set it down in front of Changgu before speaking up.

“Can I try the blackberry pastries this time?”

Changgu couldn’t help but bite his lip a bit as he smiled down at the ground, despising the fact that he _missed_ that voice much more than he thought he did, despite only hearing it once. The blood was rushing to the tips of his ears, but he willed himself to speak.

“Took you long enough to come back. How many?”

“Twenty.”

“Twenty一wow. Lots more friends at the…” Changgu lowered his voice, “...palace.”

“No, actually, I’m going to eat them all myself,” Yanan snickered. “Just kidding. I realized I didn’t get enough last time for all my guards and helpers, so I’m doubling up.”

“I would think you had more than twenty helpers. Here you go,” Changgu handed him back the filled basket, still not letting go of the handle.

“Oh, I would take this whole bakery home, if I could. Including you.”

Changgu’s eyes widened slightly, but he chose to ignore the remark. He could save that luxury for later.

“So, why come back _now_ , Yanan?”

Just then, Hyunggu came sweeping in from the back room, a tray of freshly baked bread in hand that he set down before coming to Changgu’s side. He bowed shallowly upon seeing the prince, eyes starry and in awe. Changgu squeezed his little brother’s shoulder, but still kept his eyes trained on Yanan as he waited for a reply.

“I wanted to invite you to the annual ball. I’m allowed one guest. My parents enjoyed the bread I brought back the last time, and I told them that the baker was a very well-mannered young man who would love to be a part of the occasion. What do you say?”

It took a while for Changgu to realize what was going on. He, a _commoner_ , was being invited to their kingdom’s annual _royal_ ball, because Yanan’s parents, the _king and queen_ , liked the milk buns from his small, local bakery. Milk buns that their son, Yanan, the fucking _prince_ , brought back to their home. Which was the fucking _royal palace_.

Changgu nearly collapsed right then and there wondering how the hell he ended up in this situation, but Hyunggu was quick to reply to Yanan excitedly in his brother’s stead.

“Of course he’ll go! Right, hyung? Don’t tell me you’re gonna turn down the _royal ball_.”

Changgu snapped out of his trance, looking back and forth between Hyunggu and Yanan and the basket of pastries he was still holding onto.

“No一 I mean一 I一 I guess I’ll think about it.”

“Fair enough,” Yanan said, handing over his payment for the pastries. “The ball is in a week. There’s a small garden at the town square near the fountains. It’s abandoned, so no one’s ever there, anyway. When you have a response, you can leave it in the hole of one of the trees一the one with a string wrapped around one of the branches. You’ll know it when you see it.”

“What color is the string?” 

“Emerald green.” 

“Green,” Changgu said, more to himself than anyone else. “Like your eyes.”

Changgu became a flustered mess right after realizing he let the words actually slip out of his mouth. Like always, however, Yanan didn’t really seem to mind, smiling fondly at the other boy instead.

“Yes, Changgu. Like my eyes.”

Hyunggu was just staring confusedly between them, watching his brother and the prince stare each other down like it was the most interesting theater play Hyunggu had ever seen, and Changgu decided he couldn’t afford another second of the suffocating dead air.

“I will send you my response in due time,” Changgu said before adding, “Your Highness.”

“It’s just Yanan, to both of you” he responded, smiling at them both before training his eyes back on Changgu. “And I hope to see you again. Soon.”

Changgu knew it was the reckless thing to do, but Yanan couldn’t be the one having all the fun. So he replied, “I hope so, too, _Yananie_.”

And _God_ , Changgu wishes he could see the blush he knew was dusted across Yanan’s cheeks at that statement. The prince hesitated before walking out the door, wide-eyed, with the basket of blackberry pastries on his arm. _I win this round,_ Changgu thought. And he would definitely be waiting for next time.

Hyunggu was the one who pulled him out of his reverie, hitting him lightly but repeatedly on the shoulder. 

“You’ll _think about it_? Hyung, that is the _royal ball_ we’re talking about! I would literally give my _life_ to attend that.”

“I know,” Changgu said, ruffling his brother’s hair. “I know that. You make Shinwon hyung design you a new royal suit or dress every year when the news about the ball comes around. You used to throw us our own makeshift _royal parties._ You wanted to be the royal baker and work at the palace.”

“Yes, okay, no need to remind me how _jealous_ I should be,” Hyunggu said, rolling his eyes teasingly. 

Truthfully, Changgu was a bit surprised that Hyunggu seemed much more excited for him than envious or pouty in any way, since he knew how much his brother loved all things regal and royal. It only solidified his decision more, despite his own previous musings and the temptations in his mind tracing back to one mischievous, coy, _extremely_ dashing prince. Changgu likely already knew what he wanted the moment the invitation was laid out.

“Maybe _you_ should go to the ball, Ggu. You want it more than I do. Besides, I’m happy here. I already have everything I want.”

“No!” Hyunggu interjected immediately, before slowing down. “No, I mean, it’s obvious that the prince _likes_ _you_. He invited _you_. And I can tell you like him back.”

“I do _not_ ,” Changgu tried, though he knew Hyunggu could always see through any of his attempts at deception, anyway. “And if he really _does_ like me, he would do what would make me happy. So, do you want to go to the ball, Hyunggu?”

“I mean, yes, but一”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll write a letter, put it in his weird messenger-tree, tell him you’ll be accepting the invitation in my stead,” Changgu said, taking the time to smile at his dumbfounded brother before he ended with, “because _that_ will make me happy.”

Hyunggu always shared Changgu’s ability to be easily rendered speechless, so the elder wasn’t as surprised when Hyunggu simply went in for a tight hug and nuzzled his chin onto Changgu’s shoulder. Hyunggu probably knew he couldn’t stop whatever Changgu planned to do, but he attempted to negotiate anyway, suddenly overwhelmed by what his brother was offering.

“Hyung, can you do something for me first?”

“What is it?”

“Give it a day or two, before you decide. See if you change your mind. I don’t want to take this away from you.”

Changgu chuckled lovingly at his brother’s consideration, his innocent kindness, and replied as gently as possible.

“If that’s what you want, then sure.” Changgu patted his brother’s hair, still embracing him. “But I won’t change my mind.”

Changgu smiled as they stood in silence, locked in a hug behind their bakery’s counter. As long as his brother was happy, whatever _next time_ he had imagined with the prince could definitely wait.

“Love you, hyung.”

Yes. _Next time_ would have to wait.

“Love you too.”

**iii.**

The tree that Yanan referred to during their previous encounter was easy enough to find. Birds were perched on its flowing branches, its trunk stood tall and proud, rooted firmly into the ground of the small garden. It was alive and flourishing despite not being tended to by human hands, or maybe it thrived _because_ of that fact. Changgu spotted the thick, emerald green string bunched up around one of the branches, and walked a little bit faster as he approached the abandoned garden.

No one really knew why no one ever went to this part of the square. It wasn’t secluded, but it wasn’t bustling, and Changgu remembers all the corroborated versions of the stories he was told as a child. Some would say that flowers started growing out of nowhere one day, and the townsfolk sectioned the garden off, suspecting dark magic. Others preferred to tell the more gruesome story: that dead bodies were buried there, causing the flowers to grow in just one small part of the land.

Changgu doesn’t feel the eerie feeling that others claimed to have felt, though. The sun was up in the sky and about to set, painting the garden in iridescent glows the closer he got. It felt more peaceful than anything, really, with the sound of chirping birds and the grass relenting under his feet, and the mesmerizing sight of the figure standing by the tall oak tree.

Yanan.

Yanan was standing in the garden, scarf still covering half his face, and he looked like he just _belonged_ there.

Changgu thought he had already seen all of the perfect things in the world. Yanan smiled at him, and he decided that he was _so goddamn wrong_.

“Changgu.”

“Yanan.”

“You have a response for my invitation?”

“I do.” Changgu looked at the hollow in the tree where he was to leave the letter, a bit nervous now that he would have to disappoint Yanan in person. Part of him felt like he was abusing the prince’s kindness, but he would see it through.

“You look nervous, Changgu. Relax,” Yanan said through his scarf, gesturing to the ground with a tilt of his head. “Come sit with me.”

Changgu reluctantly joined the prince, sitting on the ground beside him with their backs against the tree trunk. He suddenly felt relaxed, like Yanan’s words commanded him, disarmed him in some unknown way. Maybe the prince liked this garden so much because he _could_ do dark magic. Maybe it was just the fact that he _was_ , after all, royalty. Either way, Changgu let himself lean back completely, not tensing even as Yanan was clearly gazing at him with their faces in close proximity. For a split second, Changgu entertains the thought that he doesn’t mind that the two of them are so close, because there was a moment in the past that they were even closer. He wants to will the thought away but it persists, prompting him to let Yanan gaze, making him bold enough to gaze back, to want to see the extensive world behind those green eyes.

“I didn’t know you had green eyes. I thought they were brown.”

Yanan’s breath hitches for a moment before he lets out a long sigh, pulling the scarf around his face down the tiniest bit, just enough so he could pull it back up if the need arises.

“I don’t. And they are.”

Changgu takes it in with wonder, now that he can see Yanan’s face in almost-full view. He could imagine all the shades of brown Yanan’s eyes could be behind the green contact lenses that he apparently had on; he could see Yanan being just as beautiful whether his irises were a deep coffee brown or golden like the pastries Changgu baked on the daily. 

“Why make them green, then?”

“So I don’t get recognized.” Yanan said, matter-of-factly. “Also, I look good in them.”

“Who told you _that_?”

“No one,” Yanan chuckled. “But I was kind of hoping _you_ would.”

“Yeah.” Changgu glanced back and forth at the ground and then at the other boy, grinning as he did. “Yeah, I like the green eyes.”

Yanan smiled back at that, and Changgu felt like he was looking at buried treasure, a secret sea of light that only few had been able to find before.

“How do you sneak around anyway? Doesn’t anyone wonder why you’re not at the palace?”

“No, I’m allowed to go outside,” Yanan said, huffing. “I just don’t like being recognized as the prince all the time, you know?”

“Hmm.” Changgu thinks he understands. “My mother used to tell Hyunggu and I stories about the royals all the time. She said lots of princes were reckless. Rebellious. Ran away with their fortune, or their lovers, or things like that.”

Yanan seemed puzzled, perhaps a tiny bit intrigued, and he continued looking at the other boy like he could listen to him tell his mundane stories forever.

“Is that what you are? A prince who just wants a normal life?”

Yanan seemed like he was considering it carefully, and he shrugged before he replied.

“No.” He nodded to himself, like he was only testing out the answer, and it seemed to fit. “I like being a prince.”

Changgu doesn’t know why he was a bit disappointed by that, but he probably should have expected as much; the royals lived a comfortable life, and all his mother’s stories were likely just tall tales meant for bedtime stories or to pass the stretches of time when they were waiting for dough to rise before it got baked.

“That makes sense. You _do_ have everything you want.”

Yanan scoffed. “If I had everything I want, I would stay in the palace.”

Changgu quirked an eyebrow, ready to retort. “What more could you want?”

“I don’t know. I want to be a _person_. Not just a _prince._ ”

“So you want to be normal?” 

“Yes.”

“But you said you liked being the prince.”

“ _Yes._ ”

Changgu made a mental note to soften his tone when Yanan seemed to shy away, like he was letting all his secrets out for the first time in his life into the open air of the garden. The prince was a confusing puzzle to solve. Every story Changgu had heard before was infested with the same old pattern of normals wanting to be royal, and royals wanting to be normal. Yanan, apparently, wanted _both_. And there was really nothing Changgu could do about the fact that his heart was endeared by Yanan’s innocence, the untainted notion that he could really have it all. It didn’t help that the boy’s cheeks were soft and glowing under the nearly-setting sun, and the artificial flecks of green became brighter as time passed by.

“Changgu, everyone always tells me I’m going to lead the people of this kingdom, someday.” Yanan looked up at the sky wistfully, fidgeting with his fingers in front of his face. “But I don’t even know them.”

Yanan continued. “The _kingdom_ is my home, not just the palace. That includes the villages. The farms. The marketplaces. It never made sense to me that my parents sealed off so many alliances with other kingdoms but never took the time to connect with our own people. I want anyone to be able to come to the palace doors and ask for help when they need it. And _I_ want to be able to look at all the little shops on Daisy Street without having to wear this cloak and this scarf the whole time just so that people don’t worship the ground I walk on. I just want us all to be the same.”

“But we’re not.” Changgu replied softly, a little lost in Yanan’s words.

“And _that_ ,” Yanan said with finality, “is why I don’t have everything I want.”

They both turned their heads towards each other, their faces now mere inches apart as they sat against the oak tree. Yanan’s skin was golden, and Changgu imagined what would happen if he tried to get a taste of the prince’s lips once more, but softer this time, slower and more real.

Because Changgu was pretty sure he was falling in love.

“Where do _I_ fit into this, hm? You have all these big dreams for the kingdom. I already have everything that I want. What could I _possibly_ offer you to make you want to invite me to the royal ball?”

Yanan snickered. “I don’t know, bread?”

Changgu laughed loudly at that, looking away from Yanan and lightly slapping his arm. A voice in his head told him _you’re slapping the prince’s arm, Changgu_ , but he determined that the prince _kissed him on the lips_ and maybe now he could call it even. 

“Well, Changgu,” Yanan said, a bit more serious this time, “maybe I also just want to get a cute boy to like me.”

Changgu stopped laughing. Instead, he tried to swallow down the lump forming in his throat at those words. The boy beside him didn’t even look like the prince anymore. He just looked like the cloaked stranger at the bakery, the boy that fit in perfectly with the colors of the flower garden. He only looked like sweet, simple, innocent Yanan, who wanted the best of both worlds and was convinced he could achieve it. Changgu didn’t have the heart to deny him that. Not in a million years.

“Yanan…”

“Do _you_ really have everything you want, Changgu?”

“Well,” Changgu replied. “I can think of one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

Changgu stood up after that, willing himself not to just make a grab for Yanan and answer his question with the kiss he had been daydreaming about just a few moments prior. But he was here, after all, for something else entirely. Yanan followed suit, standing up to face him as Changgu held out the envelope he was meant to place into the hollow of the oak tree.

“I want you to take Hyunggu to the royal ball as your guest instead,” Changgu said, determined, before adding, “if that’s alright.”

Yanan nodded, a neutral expression on his face. Changgu couldn’t really tell whether he was genuinely okay with the request, or if that practiced neutrality was just what disappointment looked like on someone who had probably been trained to hide it for most of his life. Either way, Changgu wishes he could read it better, because the two-second silence seemed to drag on for much longer.

“Your wish is my command,” Yanan said, chuckling slightly, before bowing dramatically to Changgu who felt a blush creeping onto his face once more.

“Really? No objections?”

“Did you want me to have objections? Because I can take it back if you一”

“No! No, Yanan, I was just一surprised. You didn’t even ask for an explanation or一never mind. Just… Thank you for accepting our request. Uh一Your Highness.”

Yanan ran his hands through Changgu’s brown curls, pulling him in closer like he was going to kiss him again. Yanan stopped short, though, only speaking gently against Changgu’s lips. 

“I trust that we’ll meet again. So it’s no problem.”

There it was again: the disarming effect of Yanan’s voice and his touch, and Changgu’s heart didn’t skip a beat at the proximity. He just felt like he was home.

“So, you’ll take my brother to the ball?”

“If that’s what you want, Changgu, I shall oblige.”

Changgu takes the opportunity, says _fuck it_ and just presses their lips together only for a half-second, and it was only a light touch but the feeling made warmth ignite through his chest like nothing ever had before.

“Now we’re even.”

Yanan let go of him, smiling bashfully at the ground and refusing to meet his eyes. Changgu could see the blush on Yanan’s cheeks before he pulled the scarf back over his face 一 it was only a silent acknowledgement, but it meant something all the same.

“I have to get back to the palace now.”

“It’s about to rain,” Changgu said, looking up at the gray clouds that had formed above them. 

“Seems so,” Yanan replied, nonchalant.

“You don’t care, do you?” Changgu said, giggling fondly.

“Not really,” the prince stated, a glint of mischief in his eyes. Changgu wonders when Yanan discovered that it was there.

“Good night, Yanan.”

“Good night, Changgu.”

“I’ll see you again.”

Yanan swiftly ran his fingers through Changgu’s hair one last time, before turning away, saying his last words, and walking on his way back home.

“You will.”

**iv.**

A carriage had already come to the bakery about an hour ago to escort Hyunggu to the royal ball. Changgu was admittedly a bit disappointed that Yanan didn’t show up himself, but he probably _did_ have some more important, _princely_ duties to attend to. Changgu had to keep reminding himself of that fact 一 that Yanan was still the prince. Not just any green-eyed, cloaked stranger. Not just the boy he kissed. (Twice.) Yanan was still royalty, and this was the night of the royal ball.

Changgu was closing up the bakery as the evening sky grew darker, replaying the conversation he had with his little brother while he was dressing up for tonight’s occasion.

_“It’s still not too late to change your mind, hyung. You can still go, if you want to."_

_“They’ll know I’m not supposed to be there, Hyunggu. Besides, there’s not much I’m interested in seeing there. I’ll just be out of place.” Changgu sighed as he buttoned up Hyunggu’s shirt. “You, on the other hand, will be right at home.”_

_Hyunggu rolled his eyes. “But you like the prince.”_

_“And why does that matter?”_

_“You kissed him! And you didn’t just kiss him, you kissed him_ again. _”_

_“Well, he’s the prince, Hyunggu. It doesn’t matter if I kissed him.” Changgu sighed wistfully, though he knew it was true. “We shouldn’t think too much of it.”_

Now, as Changgu was gathering up the bread and pastries that they weren’t able to sell, he nodded to himself at the sentiment. No matter what part of his mind was telling him before that he was falling in love, that Yanan could be his and no one else’s, that their two kisses were real and so much more, the rational part of Changgu’s mind swooped back in to tell him it was a moot point to dwell on. At the end of the day, Yanan was still the prince, Changgu was a commoner, and Hyunggu would go to the royal ball and that would likely be the end of it. It was a thrilling chase while it lasted, but they couldn’t keep going around in secrecy. It was fun and it was good, but it was a bad, _bad_ idea.

And yet something in Changgu’s mind was telling him to follow the recklessness that Yanan had left in his wake, haunting Changgu every single second they were apart. Changgu misses the times when he thought he had everything he needed. But he didn’t want to go back. Only further. More, and more, and more.

And more indeed came, when he heard a familiar voice through the door.

“Are you still open?”

Changgu opened the door to the bakery, disturbing the wooden chimes above the door frame. Just as he had thought 一 maybe even hoped 一 Yanan stood there, in the same cloak as before, scarf around his face and green eyes still the same. Only this time, Changgu could see the formal wear he had on underneath, silken fabric and golden pins bearing their kingdom’s coat of arms.

Changgu just laughed to himself before replying, not understanding the flips his stomach did at the sight. No matter how much he tried, he kept getting caught up in Yanan’s charm. He gave in, simply because he knew that when he realized that Yanan probably snuck out of the royal ball to come see him, it would be pointless for Changgu to try and claw his way out of the hole he had fallen into. It was too much, and also all he wanted, all at the same time.

Changgu pulled him inside. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to sneak you into the royal ball,” Yanan said, smirking. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

Changgu shrugged, smirking back. “I’m wearing my work attire.”

“Then get dressed.”

“They’ll arrest me for trespassing.”

“I’ll protect you.”

“Can you really do that, though?”

“If you promise not to flirt with the other princes, maybe I will.”

“Yanan, I’m being serious.”

“No,” he shrugged. “Not really.”

Yanan was still smirking, and Changgu hated that it had so much of an effect on him. He narrowed his eyes at the prince, who only stared mischievously back, the same challenge in his tone and his gaze as the first time they met. Always a challenge with Yanan. 

“So, are you coming or not?”

Changgu didn’t really care how much of a fool he was being. Not anymore. He already knew what his answer would be, the very moment he heard Yanan’s voice at the door.

“God,” Changgu shook his head down at the ground, sighing in the most splendid kind of defeat. 

“Of course I am.”

**v.**

Conversation buzzed around the ballroom amongst all the royals and guests gathered. The atmosphere was as stuffy as Changgu expected it to be, but he had no problem trying to adjust to the etiquette and mannerisms of everyone else around him. The scent of the palace was leagues away from the scent of the bakery, a bit more elegant if not manufactured, and he didn’t know if he didn’t like it because it was new to him, or if he really just _didn’t like it_.

Yanan snuck him into the ball like he said he would, taking Changgu past all the guards through back doors that only he seemed to know about. It was both exhilarating and scary, and Changgu wondered if he could find his way around for the rest of the night. When they arrived at the event, Yanan told Changgu to look around on his own for a while, promising to find him after customary greetings to visitors from other kingdoms. He told him to maybe even look for his brother, since Hyunggu was apparently _very_ keen on apologizing for the lack of Changgu’s presence when he arrived at the palace. Changgu just stood awkwardly by the refreshment table, a little bit too intimidated to even try and _touch_ the luxurious furniture.

He spotted Hyunggu soon enough, and unlike himself, his younger brother looked right at home. Just as Changgu expected. He was making conversation with someone wearing an ensemble similar to Yanan’s, and Changgu inferred that he was also a prince, probably from one of the neighboring kingdoms. Changgu would know, because he would be lying if he didn’t admit that he had stared at Yanan, (for much longer than was acceptable,) when the prince removed his cloak to reveal the clothes he was wearing to the ball. It was the first time that Changgu had seen Yanan in person fully dressed like royalty, instead of a sketchy-looking traveller that frequented abandoned gardens and lowly Daisy Street boutiques. He knew he was in _deep_ , much too deep to care anymore, so he simply pushed the thought down and waved at his brother from where he stood, hoping he would notice.

Hyunggu _did_ notice, and bowed politely to the presumed-prince he was talking to, before making his way over to where Changgu was.

“Hyung! _How_ are you here?!” Hyunggu scream-whispered, eyes wide.

“Yanan snuck me in,” Changgu whispered back, sighing dreamily as he did. “So be quiet.”

Hyunggu’s jaw dropped, and he replied giddily. “I knew it! I knew it would all work out!”

“Well, it seems like you were having a good time with that prince too, so, yes. It did.”

Hyunggu hid his face at that, and Changgu let an evil smirk play on his lips when his teasing worked.

“Hello,” came a familiar voice beside them, prompting both brothers to look towards its source.

“I’ll see you later. Have fun!” Hyunggu said, playfully squeezing his brother’s arm before slipping to chat up someone new, and leaving Changgu face to face with Yanan, gazes locked in a green-eyed trance.

“Why do you still have the green eyes tonight?”

Yanan’s smile was softer, more demure than usual when he replied. “You said you liked them. So I kept them in.”

“Hm, but I wanted to see your brown eyes too.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

“There’s a next time, huh?”

“Have I ever lied about that before?”

“Well,” Changgu looked around at where he was, and agreed with Yanan’s sentiment. “No.”

They didn’t look at each other, simply watching the crowd, but Changgu could see Yanan’s bashful smile out of the corner of his eye.

“Your brother seems to be enjoying the festivities. If I didn’t know better, I would think he was royal by blood.”

Changgu chuckled, endeared by the observation. “He always _did_ like all things royal.”

“That includes princes, too, apparently,” Yanan shook his head disbelievingly. “Prince Hongseok from the West and Prince Wooseok from the South have both asked me about him tonight. And by the looks of it, Prince Yuto from the East is taking an interest in your little brother as well.”

“And you?” Changgu challenged, raising his eyebrow.

“You know who I’m here for.”

They stood there together for a couple of minutes, watching the crowds and taking in the melodies from the live musicians as the time stretched longer and longer. Yanan broke the silence, speaking up softly and sounding a little apologetic.

“Listen, I have to go around and socialize, do _prince things_ and such, but would you like to dance with me later? We can watch the fireworks as well. Do you like fireworks?"

“Yes, I like fireworks.” Changgu smiled reassuringly, sensing the hesitation in the prince’s tone. “And I would love to dance with you, Your Highness.”

Yanan gave a dramatic roll of his green eyes at the title, but accepted it anyway. 

“Then I’ll see you later, Changgu.”

Changgu felt a bit more out of place now that Yanan was no longer by his side, but he supposed he could behave for a little longer. It was hard not to get sick of the opulent stares he wasn’t used to, the magnificence that seemed to follow everyone around except for himself. Even the food servers dressed elegantly, walked gracefully. It wasn’t unbearable, but it wasn’t all that comfortable either. The evening was relatively young, and the fireworks wouldn’t be for another hour and a half, give or take. 

Changgu decided to finally take a glass of some cherry red liquid from the refreshment table he was standing by, supposing he could at least _try_ to make the most of the night. It wasn’t every day that someone like him got to go to the royal palace, after all. He would at least have some stories to tell when he was older.

(And at the very least, if it didn’t work out, he still had someone to dance with at the end of the night.)

**vi.**

This was _not_ a fun night.

There was a perpetual voice in the back of Changgu’s head that told him _something_ would go wrong, and now was that time. He had been keeping to himself for most of the evening, focusing on tasting the hor d’oeurves and admiring the ballroom’s architecture, having a few brushes with Yanan in between who asked if he was still doing alright, to which he always responded in the affirmative.

Now he wishes he had admitted that he had been the object of many _uncomfortably_ vacant stares the whole night, because now two royal guards were subtly questioning his attendance at the royal ball.

“Sir, we just need to know your name.”

“What is your business here?”

“From which kingdom do you come?”

The guards were bouncing queries back and forth, and Changgu tried and failed to come up with any defense that made sense.

“I was invited here.”

“By whom?”

Changgu’s eyes darted around the room in search of Yanan’s light blue silken shirt, his black hair and green eyes.

“There!”

Changgu pointed in the opposite direction to no one at all, taking the chance to sprint away from his interrogators.

His eyes continued searching frantically for Yanan as he ran around the ballroom, earning him more confused stares from all the guests darted past. He had no idea where to run, and his heart was beating so fast he felt like it could jump out of his chest. It seemed like the end of the line. Changgu wondered why he thought he could get away with being reckless like Yanan could. He hates that it was only now an afterthought.

“Come on.”

Changgu felt an arm on his shoulder, and he flinched back, but relief washed over him slightly when he saw Yanan, back in his cloak again, eyes now brown when he stared back at Changgu. The prince wasted no time, grabbing Changgu by the hand and running like he knew exactly where to go. Changgu heard the footsteps of the guards chasing after them, but Yanan didn’t seem scared in the least. Changgu felt like he could cry, because something about Yanan being with him still somehow made him feel safe, despite being chased and the fear of getting captured. There was never anything like it. The feeling was perhaps the most sinful thing Changgu had ever partaken in, but he didn’t want it to stop. _God,_ he wanted to live in that exhilarating wickedness forever.

Yanan led them both into a narrow passageway outside of the ballroom, coming up to a set of narrowly winding stone steps. Changgu was already getting out of breath, but he followed Yanan anyway, skipping some stairs with every step like the prince did. They continued until they reached the top, hearing the faint footsteps of their pursuers not far behind them. Changgu looked at his surroundings, and nearly panicked when he realized they were on the rooftop of the palace, with nowhere else to run.

“Yanan? Why did you bring us _here_?!” Changgu exclaimed, frantic. “ _They’re going to catch us._ ”

“It’s okay, Changgu.” Yanan pulled him close, rubbing gentle circles onto the hand he still held onto. “I said I would protect you.”

“Yanan!” Changgu said, pulling away. “This is serious, I _trespassed_ into the royal ball. Even if you snuck me in, who do you think they’re going to blame?”

“Changgu, relax一”

“I can’t relax一”

“Ch一”

“I am going to get _imprisoned_. Or exiled. I’m so stupid, God一”

“Hey!” Yanan snapped him out of his panicked muttering. “Look at me.”

Changgu looked into his eyes. They were brown like coffee under the moonlight. He wondered if he would ever even see how they looked in the sun.

“Yanan, I’m scared.”

“Just watch the fireworks with me.”

“This is not a game!”

“You don’t have to be afraid,” Yanan whispered into his ear, hand on the side of his face, calming him instantly, the way only _he_ ever could. “They’re not allowed to hurt anyone I love.”

Changgu melted into those words. He knew he just had to trust Yanan 一 in the short span of time that they had known each other, he always did. So Changgu simply closed his eyes and exhaled lightly, letting everything else unfold.

He’s glad he did. Because upon hearing the footsteps drawing nearer to where they stood on the palace rooftop, Yanan pulled him closer gently, swallowing down the rest of his worries. Their lips met the moment the first firework lit up the night sky, and this time it was warm, it was perfect. This time Changgu got to kiss back. This time, it was something more akin to love.

The guards didn’t seem to know what to do, simply looking at each other in confusion. Changgu stopped caring, just pulling Yanan in deeper, leaning up to accommodate him and hold him closer, not caring about remembering the details for later. He simply let the prince kiss him, no longer out of breath and dizzy just from running up the winding staircase. Changgu felt Yanan smile into the kiss before he pulled away, and looked towards the guards still standing by the entryway.

“You may go.”

The two guards obeyed reluctantly, leaving the prince and his companion to marvel at the flowering lights that ignited in the sky. Yanan interlocked his hand with Changgu’s as they watched, still rubbing circles into the calloused skin before speaking.

“I meant it. I love you.”

Changgu squeezed Yanan’s hand, still keeping his eyes trained on the colorful fireworks.

“Are you sure?”

There was never anything much that Changgu wanted. But that was before Yanan came along: this enigma of a prince who was both devilish and innocent, who looked at Changgu like he was everything, and kissed him like he was even more.

“Changgu,” Yanan breathed, “I would love to find out.”

Changgu leaned his head on Yanan’s shoulder as they continued to watch the fireworks. It was frightening, unexplored territory: a game that was reckless but somehow still felt like home, a love that was young but undeniably real.

Changgu thinks, maybe this time, he was fine with _wanting_. Just a little bit more.

**Author's Note:**

> hope u enjoyed :D kudos and comments are appreciated or maybe some feedback on [twt](https://twitter.com/violetholdsme?s=21) or [cc](http://curiouscat.qa/violetholdsme)!


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